What?  I Love You?
by DragonsandInk
Summary: Luvy POV  Something is different with Natsu, I don't know why but he seems more…charming, more…loveable?  It's going to make me go crazy if I don't know why he seems so different today!


**Alsarnia: Heya everyone! It's me Alsarnia again, I know you're probably annoyed at me-**

**Everyone: YES**

**Alsarnia:…for taking so long to write anything but, school and some mixup's happened and I'm submitting this short story for Litashe's Fairy Tail contest late. I'll try to work on my other story's soon. The thingy describing it is underneath this if you wanted to know and please enjoy the story!**

**Round: 1**

**Title: What? I Love You?**

**Pairing: Natsu and Lucy**

**Brief Summmary: (Luvy POV) Something is different with Natsu, I don't know why but he seems more…charming, more…loveable? It's going to make me go crazy if I don't know why he seems so different today!**

**Rating: K**

**Genre: Romance/Friendship**

**Amount of Words: 2100 exactly :D (Not counting the above words)**

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><p>Lucy stared, annoyed, at her cup of coffee. It was untouched and hardly needed touching, she had just bought it for the sake of doing something and having something to distract her. Because if she just sat there and did nothing then he'd show up. Again.<p>

And, lo and behold, as soon as she had sat down with her cup, he was there. Again.

He wasn't even talking to her, but that didn't matter.

What _did_ matter was that he was sitting so close that they were brushing, but never any closer. It was like he was teasing her.

She had woken up and there he was in her bed with the same proximity. She had immediately pushed him off, then he'd taken her by the hand and dragged her to the guild where they set down together.

Honestly, what was up with Natsu? Not that this routine wasn't normal and she didn't enjoy it but…the feeling behind it was different.

Yesterday, they had been best friends, bickering and poking fun at each other but there was something different about today. There was more…feeling in his actions, how he took the time to make sure they were close to each other. There was something different and Lucy wasn't sure what to make of it.

There was a shimmer of light and all of a sudden there was a handsome constellation obstructing her glare to her coffee.

"Is there anything the matter, my love?"

She eeped and shoved Loke off her lap in surprise. "Loke, what are you doing?" She noticed how Natsu looked over at them and watched.

"Well," Loke said, dusting himself off, "I felt you were in distress so I appeared to make sure my master is alright. What ails you?"

Lucy blushed, realizing her distress had been about Natsu and his odd behavior. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I was just thinking."

Natsu interjected here. "If something were bothering Lucy I'd pound it. Geez, do you have no faith in my awesome power?"

"None at all," he replied and Natsu protested, but Loke ignored the pink haired teen.

Lucy, however, wasn't paying attention to Natsu's whining or Loke's calculative stare but had found something interesting. When she had pushed Loke off of her she had fallen to the ground as well and therefore moved away from Natsu and found she missed the contact they had been sharing all that morning.

She was more surprised when she felt warm hands on her arms that pulled her up to standing then draped themselves over her shoulders. She looked up to see Natsu still complaining about what Loke had said, but staying firmly by her side and not rushing into a fight.

_Natsu not rushing into a fight._

Loke noticed this as well. "Natsu, don't you want to fight me?" he asked in surprise.

Immediately Natsu's feral smile was there. "Is that a challenge?"

Loke seemed to fight internally, his boy side calling for a fight and his rational side still questioning Natsu's odd behavior. But Natsu's holding himself back from a fight was just too weird.

"No, Natsu, maybe another time. I meant: why didn't you just punch me when I said you're not strong?"

Natsu didn't even hesitate when he said, "Because Erza is scary."

They stared at him.

"Erza's not here yet…" Lucy muttered, speaking their thoughts.

Natsu cursed slightly, but kept his arm firmly around Lucy's shoulders. She blushed suddenly as the thought that he was holding back for_ her_ came into her mind. Seeing the arm, Loke thought the same thing.

"Natsu…did Lucy say something to make you not fight anymore?" Loke asked carefully, looking at his master in worry.

"No!" she shouted, shoving his arm off her shoulder. For a moment the look on his face was of shock, but quickly went back to uncaring. "Natsu, I never threatened you not to fight. Even if I did, you'd ignore me."

He blinked at her. "So…you like it when I fight?"

"Well, I didn't say _that_, but-" before she could finish, Loke was sailing across the room from Natsu's belated punch. His arm was back on her shoulders in seconds.

He grinned. "That was for calling me weak."

"Bastard!" Loke yelled from the heap of wood that had once been an unoccupied table. But Lucy was staring agape at her best friend.

"What was that!"

He looked at her, confused. "I thought you said you didn't mind me fighting?"

A tic mark appeared on her forehead. "When did I say that!" she pushed off his arm again. "And stop doing that, you're creeping me out!"

This time it wasn't surprise on his face but hurt and she felt bad for doing such a thing before he went back to uncaring.

"Geez, say what you mean, weirdo."

Then all the regret was erased, but she held herself back.

"I'm gonna go look for a request for us to do. Happy!" He called to his friend, who had been trying to swoon Charle with a fish again and his cat accompanied him to the request board. Lucy sighed before feeling a pair of strong arms around her. A shiver went up her spine as he blew in her ear.

"Are you feeling better now? Princess?"

"Loke! Let go of me!"

Loke softly let her go and slowly turned her around, worry apparent on his face. She sighed in relief, she always felt awkward when Loke would do one of his loving stunts for her; she felt much better when he was addressing her as a friend.

"What's wrong, really? I could sense you were in distress, but it's obviously not physical." He frowned. "You know you can tell me _anything_. We're not just master and servant, we're friends, right?"

If they were anything less than friends then his antics would be _really_ awkward.

"Yeah, of course you are! I just…I'm not even quite sure what it is. It's just…Natsu's been acting weird…"

Loke contemplated this. "You're right. He's giving off a different vibe than before. I don't know what it is or how to describe it exactly, but…he seems to _mind_ you more."

Lucy snapped her fingers. "That's exactly it! I don't know why but he seems closer and more thoughtful and it's weird because he's never that _close_ and he never _thinks_ about others like that!"

As Lucy ranted, Loke paused and thought a moment before realizing that Natsu was acting much in the same way he did with Aries in the spirit realm. A slow grin spread across his features as he realized what was happening.

He looked at Lucy who was finally winding down and noticing his smile. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

He grinned. "Don't worry about it. Just talk to him later, when you're alone, and don't let him get away or side step it. You'll get your answer.

He shimmered and disappeared.

Lucy stared at where he had been, flabbergasted. "Did you listen to _anything_ I just said?"

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><p>Later, Natsu offered to walk Lucy home. In the most Natsu-like way he could. When she said she was going to go home he was there with his arm slung around her again.<p>

"Come on, Luce. Let's go home," he had said and begun walking her out the guild. He had began to call for Happy, but she interrupted and told the cat he could take all the time he wanted before following them.

As they walked back to her apartment, Natsu didn't keep his arm on her shoulders, but kept his hand close enough so that their hands brushed every so often.

Suddenly, she stopped.

Natsu stopped as well and turned to her in confusion. "Something wrong?"

"Yes. With you."

Natsu blinked in surprise and pointed to himself. "With _me_?"

"Yeah, with you!"

To her surprise, he laughed. "I was about to say the same thing! You've been acting weird today Lucy. Weirder than usual."

She stared at him, mouth agape. _She_ was acting weird?

"What! _You're_ the one who's all over me today and always so close!"

Natsu scowled. "And _you're_ the one who's been pushing me away and trying to avoid me all day."

Lucy couldn't deny that at all, she had been feeling flushed and embarrassed every time he came close and was confused, so she had been trying to avoid him.

"Well that's because you've been acting so…so…so _different_ today!"

He frowned. "Is it really that bad?"

"Well…no, it's not bad. I actually like it, but I'm confused as to _why_."

He scoffed, as if the answer was obvious. "It's because I love you, stupid."

Ignoring the jeer at the end she stared at him side eyed with shock while Natsu stood there like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Natsu? Love? Her? _WHAT_?

Since when had this development come to pass? Since when had he loved her and…she blushed as sudden realization came over her.

Since when had she wanted to hear that? Since when had she loved _him_?

Her heart fluttered in light ascension as happiness bubbled within her. Was this love? Was this what Natsu was feeling? It seemed impossible with the stance he was in, but still…

She felt like she was looking up at the night sky with the stars so bright that they covered every inch of darkness in the sky that the thing she loved was there, so close and so comforting that her heart felt at ease from all the pain she had ever had, past, present, and future.

She could feel the warmth of his love and the brightness of hers touch gently, as if testing the waters.

"I…I think…I love you too."

Natsu felt something similar to Lucy's night sky, only his love took form as bright, burning fire within him. Not like Igneel's flames, or the Masters flames, or his flames, these were Lucy's flames, even though she couldn't use fire magic he knew she had set something aflame within him.

There was a burning bright fire of passion within him that glowed brightly whenever he looked at her, or touched her, or heard her voice, or _smelled_ her even. There was something about her that just tickled his tummy and made him so happy just to be near her.

Fire of warmth and stars of bright joined and shone brighter than ever imagined.

Natsu and Lucy smiled at each other at the same time, each of them feeling the passion the other suddenly emitted.

"So…" Lucy started, somehow feeling like it was the first thing to say to him in this newfound feeling. "What made you realize?"

He seemed thoughtful. "Yesterday, Happy said "He lllllikes you"."

Lucy looked at him in slight annoyance. "He always says that."

But he shook his head defiantly. "No he usually says "_she_ lllllikes you", not the other way around."

She sweat-dropped. _That_ was what made him realize?

"So, I thought about it and noticed he was right." He grinned. "So how about you? When did you notice?"

She blushed vehemently. "Just now, when you said it."

But he only grinned wider. "Something simple, right? Like love."

She looked up at him in sudden confusion. "How do you even _know_ about love?"

He smiled proudly and pointed a thumb to his chest. "I was taught by the greatest teacher in the world!"

Lucy smiled fondly. "Igneel?"

"Heck yeah! He spent a whole week teaching me _everything_ about love! I'm an expert."

She looked at him slyly. "Oh? So do you know what we have to do to become a couple?"

He paused to think before grinning wide enough to show his fangs. "Oh course."

He leaned down and, to Lucy's horror, licked her on the cheek. It wasn't just a _lick_ lick either, it was a _slobbery_ lick. She stood in shock for a moment as he grinned at her before laughing.

He frowned. "That's how you do it, right?"

She smiled. "Not quite." She took either side of his face in her hands and pulled him down so their lips met in a short kiss.

When she pulled away she smiled at him as he considered the kiss, licking his lips slightly and tilting his head to the side, before smiling again.

"I like that better."

She giggled. "I knew you would. Now c'mon, let's get home before Happy gets there before us."

This time, he right out took her hand in his and she didn't push him away. They smiled at each other as Natsu helped her balance on the walk next to the water.


End file.
